Cucumbers are such a great stand alone produce item, while also being my favorite ingredient added to salads, and the uses could go on and on! I think the main hold up for a lot of us is buying cucumbers and then they go bad quickly. Luckily, in recent years, the cucumbers on the market and their storage life have improved, so we have better options that can withstand a few days of storage so that we have time to eat them before they go bad! This post is all about how to select and store cucumbers, in order to be able to enjoy them to their fullest.
(This post is an excerpt from The Produce Nerd’s Grocery Guide, with input provided by two different cucumber growers: Houwelings and Lakeside Organic Gardens. You can learn more about the Grocery Guide, which covers this information for 55 different produce items, with input from 26 crop-specific companies HERE.)
What to look for when picking the best quality cucumbers?
- Cucumbers should be strong and not soft or bendy when you are choosing them from a store.
- Long English cucumbers will have a thin skin which is why they are typically wrapped in plastic (Until the launch of Houwelings Free the Cucumber Campaign in 2020), while field cucumbers have a thick skin and typically need to be peeled before eating.
- Look for firm cucumbers and no soft ends.
- Yellow bellies on cucumbers are fine too, as that is where the cucumber laid on the soil, not receiving any sunlight.
Common issues to avoid when selecting cucumbers?
- Avoid soft tips or any soft spots throughout, as well as any visible pathogen growth (normally seen as white and/or black on cucumbers).
Are there any common issues that are specifically caused by bad grocery store handling?
- Cucumbers do not need to be in the wet rack in stores (the rack that sprays water on them). You should look for cucumbers outside of the rack, or advise your clerks to move them.
- Temperature control, too cold or not enough or too much moisture, are common store handling problems.
What is the best way to store cucumbers at home?
- Cucumbers are best stored in the vegetable tray of your refrigerator. Long English cucumbers should stay wrapped in the plastic until you are ready to eat them, and mini and cocktail cucumbers come in a bag made for maintaining shelf-life and moisture.
- Store cucumbers away from bananas, melons and tomatoes.
- Cucumbers are chilling sensitive. However, if you put them in the fridge for a few days or eat them shortly after taking them out of the fridge, you can avoid the chilling injury symptoms.
Are there any common things that consumers should look for not mentioned above?
- Houwelings Free the Cucumber will launch in 2020, where we will team with Apeel technologies to remove plastic from the cucumber by replacing it with a plant based solution. By using technology to create an edible plant-based peel, we will save the equivalent of 3.5 million water bottles of plastic every year.
What is your favorite way to eat and prepare cucumbers?
- Houwelings: I snack on mini and cocktail cucumbers at my desk all day. They are even better with some lemon and tajin sprinkled on, or dipped in a hummus.
- Lakeside Organic Gardens: In a salad or pickled.
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